How to Check Breast Cancer or Information on Breast Problems

Health-care professionals provide information about breast cancer and how you can protect yourself.

Be vigilant about breast cancer, as it occurs more frequently than any other cancer except skin cancer among women in the United States and is second only to lung cancer in the number of women it kills. Depending on certain factors, including family history and age, you may be at risk for contracting the disease. On the other hand, be assured that you can learn enough to monitor your breast health, including regular breast self-examination, clinical breast exams, mammography and various types of biopsy if necessary. Remember the earlier breast cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat and the more successful the outcome.

Instructions

Protect Yourself

1. 

   Plenty of good information about breast cancer is just a click away.

   Learn about your risks for developing breast cancer by consulting reputable websites, such as those of the National Cancer Institute and the comprehensive cancer centers, or scientific books like the ones listed with this article. Risks include familial factors, note Sue Huether and Kathryn McCance in their book, "Understanding Pathophysiology." A history of breast cancer in first-degree relatives--mother or sister--increases a woman's risk two to three times observe Huether and McCance.

2. 

   Examine your breasts regularly to stay ahead of possible problems.

   Regularly examine your breasts. This enables you to report changes to health-care professionals immediately. Changes might include a lump or swelling, skin irritation or dimpling, nipple pain or retraction, redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin, or a discharge other than breast milk, notes the American Cancer Society. Heat and redness of the skin would suggest inflammation, which might signify cancer.

3. 

   Medical doctors are there to inform and guide you.

   Visit your physician for a clinical breast exam. This enables you to combine knowledge of your own breasts with the less personal but broader knowledge physicians command. A health-care professional can instruct you how to examine yourself, what to look for and the significance of pertinent risk factors, notes the American Cancer Society.

4. 

   X-rays can reveal objects invisible to the naked eye, including breast tumors.

   If a clinical exam suggests the possibility of cancer, get a diagnostic mammogram. The American Cancer Society recommends that any woman over age 40 should have an annual mammogram. Mammograms detect about 85 to 90 percent of existing breast cancers.

Biopsies

1. 

   Needles can extract for biopsy cells from tissue suspected of being cancerous.

   Consider fine-needle aspiration to determine whether a lump is a cyst or a tumor. If a cyst, it should disappear after aspiration. A needle can take more than one sample of cells, reducing the chances of a false-negative result. A stereotactic needle-guided biopsy enables diagnosis of benign disease without the scarring of an excisional biopsy.

2. 

   Before excising breast tissue for a biopsy, certain conditions must be met.

   Get an excisional biopsy under any of the following three conditions, advise Joyce Black and Jane Hawks in their textbook, "Medical Surgical Nursing:" The examiner finds that the lesion is solid and indeterminate in nature; analysis of cell samples fails to rule out cancer; or either clinical or mammographic findings suggest cancer.

3. Remember that not every breast abnormality involves cancer. Inflammation, for example, can arise from infection, or mastitis, note Donna Wong and colleagues in their book, "Maternal Child Nursing Care."

Tips & Warnings

• If you suspect a genetic basis for breast cancer in your family, consider genetic counseling.

• Do not assume that any breast abnormality you may find is cancerous.

References

• "Understanding Pathophysiology, 2nd Ed."; Sue Huether and Kathryn McCance; 2000.
• American Cancer Society: Breast Exams
• "Medical-Surgical Nursing, 6th Ed."; Joyce Black, Jane Hokanson Hawks, and Annabelle Keene; 2001.
• "Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 19th Ed."; Donald Venes, M.D., Ed.; 2001.
• "Maternal Child Nursing Care, 2nd Ed."; Donna Wong, Shannon Perry, Marilyn Hockenberry; 2002.

Resources

• Mayo Clinic: Breast Cancer
• National Cancer Institute: Breast Cancer
• American Cancer Society: Non-cancerous Breast Conditions
• National Cancer Institute: Understanding Breast Changes